Avast Introduces Streaming Updates with New Antivirus Software

Streaming works well for music and movies, so why not push out software updates that way as well? That's the question Avast Software asked itself when building Avast 7, the next major release of its antivirus software set to hit the streets sometime later this year. Avast 7 will give users streaming updates on new malware threats in addition to regular virus database updates, Avast Software says.

"Instead of our clients having to 'pull' in the updates, we can 'push' it to them," said Ondrej Vlcek, CTO of Avast Software. "Once we have decided to publish an update, we can push it out to all of our users in minutes."

Avast isn't breaking new ground with what some refer to as pulse updates, which are essentially a series of minor updates pushed out to client software throughout the day and night as new threats emerge. But new ground or not, it should make Avast more secure.

"This lets users get fresh information more frequently while still retaining a very up-to-date Plan B," added Mr. Vlcek. "We believe this is a better design than a cloud-only system where the malware information is not stored and users have to be connected to remain protected."

If all the features in the beta version of Avast 7 stick, the updated software will include a UI facelift, improvements to its sandbox, browser protection tweaks, a remote assistance feature for users to help their family and friends, import/export settings, and more.